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Are you reading this while standing at your desk? There's a good chance that you are — standing desks are all the rage.
These desks allow you to work at your "desk job" while standing rather than sitting in a chair. They can be custom built (for thousands of dollars) or you can convert a regular desk into a standing desk at no cost by elevating your computer — one of my colleagues simply placed his computer on a stack of books. Sales of standing desks have soared in recent years; in many cases their sales have far outpaced those of conventional desks.
Personally, I love the idea — rather than sitting all day staring at a computer screen, surely it would be better to be standing (while staring at a computer screen). But, I also love the idea of studying some of the assumptions surrounding standing desks. A common one is this: certainly it takes more effort — and extra calories — to remain upright rather than sit, and over a course of days or weeks those extra calories would add up to something significant. But is it true that a standing desk can help you avoid weight gain or even lose excess weight?
That's just what researchers publishing in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health tried to answer. (Yes, there is such a journal.) They fitted 74 healthy people with masks that measured oxygen consumption as a reflection of how many calories they burned while doing computer work, watching TV, standing, or walking on a treadmill. Here's what they found:
- While sitting, study subjects burned 80 calories/hour — about the same as typing or watching TV
- While standing, the number of calories burned was only slightly higher than while sitting — about 88 calories/hour
- Walking burned 210 calories/hour.
In other words, use of a standing desk for three hours burns an extra 24 calories, about the same number of calories in a carrot. But walking for just a half hour during your lunch break could burn an extra 100 calories each day.
Prior reports of the calories burned by standing versus sitting suggested a much higher calorie burn rate for standing, but this new study actually measured energy expenditure and likely represents a more accurate assessment.
Reasons to stand by your standing desk
While the new study suggests that a standing desk is unlikely to help with weight loss or avoiding weight gain, there may be other reasons to stand while you work. Advocates of standing desks point to studies showing that after a meal, blood sugar levels return to normal faster on days a person spends more time standing. And standing, rather than sitting, may reduce the risk of shoulder and back pain.
Other potential health benefits of a standing desk are assumed based on the finding that long hours of sitting are linked with a higher risk of
- obesity
- diabetes
- cardiovascular disease
- cancer (especially cancers of the colon or breast)
- premature death.
But "not sitting" can mean many different things — walking, pacing, or just standing — and as the new study on energy expenditure shows, the health effects of these may not be the same. For most of these potential benefits, rigorous studies of standing desks have not yet been performed. So, the real health impact of a standing desk is not certain.
If you're going to stand at your desk…
Keep in mind that using a standing desk is like any other "intervention" — it can come with "side effects." For example, if you suddenly go from sitting all day to standing all day, you run the risk of developing back, leg, or foot pain; it's better to ease into it by starting with 30 to 60 minutes a day and gradually increasing it. Setting a timer to remind you when to stand or sit (as many experts recommend) can disrupt your concentration, reduce your focus, and reduce your efficiency or creativity. You may want to experiment with different time intervals to find the one that works best for you.
It's also true that certain tasks — especially those requiring fine motor skills — are more accurately performed while seated. So, a standing desk may not be a good answer for everyone who sits a lot at work.
What's next?
We have seen dramatic changes in the work environment in recent years. These include open floor plans and inflatable exercise balls instead of chairs, as well as standing desks. I have colleagues who have installed a "treadmill desk" that allows them to work on a computer or video conference while walking on a treadmill. There are advantages, and perhaps some risk, that come with each of these changes. But, before we accept them as better — or healthy — we should withhold judgment until we have the benefit of more experience and, ideally, well-designed research.
Okay, you may now sit down.
FAQs
The results showed that while standing, the number of calories burned was only slightly higher than while sitting. In fact, using a standing desk for three hours burns an extra 24 calories, about the same number of calories in a carrot.
Are standing desks actually healthier? ›
Reducing or interrupting sitting by standing up or moving around can improve your blood circulation, metabolism, heart health, mental health and lifespan. Modelling studies show that swapping one hour of sitting each day for one hour of standing leads to improvements in waist circumference, fat and cholesterol levels.
What are the negatives of standing desks? ›
Muscle fatigue is another risk of using a standing desk in your work environment. Standing requires tension in the legs, hips, abdomen, and back to keep your body in place. Without practice, your muscles quickly become fatigued when you stand for more than 30 minutes.
What is the argument for standing desks? ›
Research shows that stand-up desks can boost productivity and cognitive function. Standing up promotes the body to burn more calories than sitting. It eases pain in the body associated with sitting all day, by helping the body stretch out, increasing blood flow, and engaging the core, glutes, and leg muscles.
What is the science behind standing desks? ›
Musculoskeletal health
Standing desks can help reduce sitting time and promote a more active work environment. Sitting can place pressure on joints, particularly in the lower back and hips. Sit stand desks can help reduce this pressure and distribute weight more evenly throughout the body.
Is it better to stand or sit all day? ›
There are a few good reasons why we should consider standing more often, among them lower blood sugar levels, lower risk of heart disease and less stress and fatigue than those who sit for eight hours or more each day. “Standing has a significantly larger impact on our longevity than sitting.
Do standing desks help belly fat? ›
Sit-stand desks do not aid weight loss
“The study found only minimal impacts on any of [the six parameters], the strongest being changes in behavior and discomfort,” reports study co-author Nancy A. Baker, who is an associate professor of occupational therapy at Tufts University in Medford, MA.
Is standing desk overhyped? ›
However, improvement in cardiovascular health has not been proven in scientific studies. Standing desks are not a substitute for exercise. So, while your neck and back may feel better, and a standing desk may improve your ergonomics at work, it does not replace your home exercise program.
Is it safe to use standing desk all day? ›
Keep in mind that using a standing desk is like any other "intervention" — it can come with "side effects." For example, if you suddenly go from sitting all day to standing all day, you run the risk of developing back, leg, or foot pain; it's better to ease into it by starting with 30 to 60 minutes a day and gradually ...
Are standing desks a fad? ›
While standing desks may be a fad, sitting desks are not going anywhere. Standing desks can be optimal when working from home and especially when using a personal computer. Adjustable standing desks can cut back on how tedious sitting at home and staring at a computer the entire day can be.
Prolonged and frequent standing, without some relief by walking, causes blood to pool in the legs and feet. This pooling may progress over time to chronic and painful varicose veins and inflammation. Excessive standing also causes the joints in the spine, hips, knees, and feet to become temporarily immobilized.
How long should you stand at a standing desk? ›
How long should you sit or stand for a sit-stand desk? The "30-30 Rule" – sitting for 30 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of standing – is frequently suggested as the perfect sit-stand ratio.
Does standing strengthen your legs? ›
It strengthens leg muscles and improves balance. It burns more calories than sitting. It is also a great antidote to the formation of blood clots deep in the legs. When you sit for long periods, blood flow slows through the legs.
Can you lose weight by standing for 8 hours? ›
There is a small but significant difference between the calories you burn while sitting vs. standing still, but they add up. While standing more than sitting in themselves may not help you lose a significant amount of weight, it can certainly help you maintain your current weight and reduce certain health risks.
Do standing desks fix posture? ›
Improves Posture
Using a standing desk with proper ergonomics can help you have good posture at the computer. Your monitor should be at eye level, about 20 inches from your face at a 20-degree tilt, while you should bend your arms at 100-degree angles at your sides.
Is standing better than sitting for lower back pain? ›
Those who used standing desks during the studies reported an improvement of up to 32% in their lower back and neck pain after using the desk for a period of several weeks.
Are standing desks actually better for your aching back? ›
Generally speaking, standing may force you to improve your posture which in turn can take the pressure off your lower back. However, a standing desk will not cure an underlying orthopedic issue, such as scoliosis or a herniated disc. And standing could exacerbate leg swelling or foot pain.
Is it healthy to stand all day at work? ›
Researchers from the Institute for Work & Health in Toronto published results of a study in 2017 that followed thousands of men and women over a 12-year period. They concluded that people who work in standing jobs are twice as likely to develop heart disease as people whose positions do not require standing all day.
